>> pelley: tonight, signs of a new direction in the economy. we have new information on consumer confidence and real consumer confidence and real estate prices today. anthony mason on what all this means for jobs. jan crawford and nancy cordes with the president at the romney in ohio promoting free trade. jeff glor on the call that every football fan is talking about. >> it was awful. that's all i'm going to say about it. >> pelley: and these images helped change america. >> how could you not ask the question "what ever happened to that kid?" >> pelley: seth doane with the man who uncovered the stories behind the faces. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening. six weeks before an election that may turn on the state of the economy, a new survey out today finds that americans are feeling better about things. consumer confidence is at its

highest level in seven months, largely because more americans expect the jobs picture to improve. but confidence is still at what's considered a weak level. home values are increasing. another report out today says prices in 20 major cities rose 1.6% in july. that's the fourth straight increase. but prices are still 30% below where they were before the housing bubble burst. stock portfolios are looking better. the dow is up 10% this year but gas prices are also on the rise. nationwide tonight they average $3.81 a gallon. that's 30 cents higher than a year ago. we're going to start tonight with signs of the improving jobs picture and anthony mason has been looking into that. >> reporter: the best gift this holiday season may be more jobs. toys "r" us said today it will take on 45,000 seasonal workers this year-- 5,000 more than last

year. kohl's, the department store chain, is adding more than 52,000 holiday workers-- about 10% more than last year. target seasonal work force will be 80,000 to 90,000, down slightly from a year ago, but wal-mart is adding 50,000 jobs, up slightly. and game stop will add 17,000. >> it's about the same as last year. our fall season we're really expecting a nice surge in business. >> reporter: mike buskey, senior vice president for hiring at game stop, says the world's largest video game retailer is bullish on the holiday. >> i think if you have a significant offering, consumers are ready to spend money. i think the iphone 5 release is a classic example. >> reporter: apple has already sold more than five million iphone 5s. >> that doesn't sound like an economy in recession. >> reporter: but across the country, the recovery has been uneven. nationally, the unemployment rate has dropped to 8.1%. but in four states-- north carolina, new jersey,

california, and rhode island-- the jobless rate is still near 10% or above. in nevada it's more than 12%. that's why scott hoyt with moody's analytics is forecasting slow growth this holiday. >> it's going to be a modestly disappointing season. retailers are going to see growth in sales but not the kind of growth that they would like or even the kind of growth that they saw in the last two years. >> reporter: a disappointing season but not a disaster, hoyt says, two surveys are forecasting holiday hiring will increase this year but still well below prerecession levels. >> pelley: improvement but slow. thank you, anthony. now about those rising home prices. in phoenix, hit hard by the housing meltdown, prices were up more than 16% in july. in detroit they jumped more than 6%. and in denver prices were up nearly 5.5%. all of that good news for the folks who are keeping up with their mortgages. but people facing foreclosure

are running into a new problem. nationally, the availability of rentals is now at its lowest rate since 2001. barry petersen has been looking into this. >> reporter: when john and gina burnett bought their home in suburban denver they thought they'd spend the rest of their lives here with gina's son keith who has down syndrome. but john lost his job three years ago in the construction industry. >> what happened to all of the jobs? where'd they go? >> reporter: now they face losing their house to foreclosure and for them an unplanned transition from home owner to renter. >> it's very hard. it's painful. it's frustrating. >> reporter: does it feel unfair that this is happening to you? >> we've done everything we possibly could to keep this from happening and-- i'm sorry. and-- >> reporter: but it's happening. >> yeah. >> reporter: and as more

foreclosed families need apartments, they are driving up demand and prices. nationwide vacancy rates hit a ten-year low in 2011 and rents increased 4.7% since last year. >> that one apartment it would cost approximately $3,000 to $4,000 just to get into the apartment. >> reporter: do you have $4,000? >> no, we don't. >> reporter: what are you going to do? >> we don't know. >> reporter: you're seeing what kind of increases here? >> 7% to 10%. >> reporter: ron throupe is a denver real estate economist who says it will take at least ten years for new construction to ease the tight apartment market and much longer for foreclosed families to buy another home. >> they've lost their equity so they're going to have to save in order to buy a new home someday. >> reporter: and how long does it take before they could come back and do that? >> likely five to seven years. >> reporter: gina is 51, john is 60, ages when life should be about the good days ahead. >> at this age we should be looking at retirement.

and that's really hard. i kind of like that one. >> reporter: instead the burnetts are looking for an apartment. they know the longer it takes the higher their rent may be. barry petersen, cbs news, douglas county, colorado. >> pelley: well, even slight improvement in the economy tends to help the president in this election and we got new polling data from some of the few states that can go either way and will decide this election. in florida, the "washington post" poll shows the president with a four-point lead, 51% to 47%. but that is within the margin of error. in ohio, the president has an eight-point lead. 52% to 44%. jan crawford is with governor romney in dayton tonight. jan? >> reporter: well, scott, romney is in the buckeye state two days this week, and with good reason. no republican has won the white house without winning ohio. >> how in the world can people

say they want four more years of president obama? we can't afford four more years of president obama! ( cheers and applause ) >> reporter: romney has based his campaign on the economy, but if ohio, the economic picture has been improving. after hitting a high of 10.6% three years ago, unemployment has been at 7.2% for three straight months. the national average is 8.1%. outside dayton, romney also talked about how his plan to pursue new trade agreements will help people in the state. >> the people in ohio can sell products anywhere in the world, and we can compete with anywhere in the world. i'm not afraid of trading with other nations. i understand that when we trade and when other nations trade on a fair basis we will complete, we will win, we'll raise wages here, we'll create jobs. >> reporter: with the election possibly in the balance in ohio, both sides are campaigning hard. both candidates have been here 13 times this year and they will both be here tomorrow. >> here in ohio we're not better off under president obama.

>> reporter: they're also flooding the airwaves with television ads. >> romney's never stood up to china. >> reporter: they spent more money here than any other battleground state. since may, the president and the outside groups supporting his campaign have spent $47.9 million. $40.6 million by the campaign and more than $7 million by the outside groups. that's more than romney's team, which has spent $43 million on ads in ohio, $20.5 million by the campaign and more than $22 million by the groups. now, another reason ohio is so important is what it says about those other battleground states. scott, it's really a bellwether, and if romney can't pull off ohio it's hard to see some of those bluer states like pennsylvania and michigan breaking his way. >> pelley: jan, thanks very much. the president is headed to ohio tomorrow. today he was in new york for the annual gathering of head of state and government at the u.n. general assembly. on his mind was the murder this month of ambassador chris

stevens and three other state department employees in benghazi, libya. the attack on the u.s. consulate there may have been motivated in part by an american-made internet video that ridicules islam. nancy cordes is at the u.n. tonight. nancy? >> reporter: scott, the president today delivered an extended defense of free speech rights here at the u.n. in an address that appeared to be aimed at leaders from the muslim world. >> i would like to begin today by telling you about an american named chris stevens. >> reporter: the president told world leaders today that the slain u.s. ambassador to libya, chris stevens, had gone to benghazi to establish a cultural center and help modernize a hospital. >> today we must declare that this violence and intolerance has no place among our united nations. >> reporter: it's still unclear what motivated the terrorist

attack, but president obama focused on that anti-muslim video made in california, explaining why the u.s. can't and won't ban a movie that mr. obama himself described as "crude and disgusting." >> i know that not all countries in this body share this particular understanding of the protection of free speech. we recognize that. but in 2012 at a time when anyone with a cell phone can spread offensive views around the world with a click of a button the notion that we can control the flow of information is obsolete. >> reporter: a lot has changed since this group of leaders met a year ago. egypt and tunisia have held free elections. libya's dictator moammar qaddafi was deposed and killed. but the president argued today those countries cannot achieve democracy without embracing freedom of expression. >> as president of our country and commander-in-chief of our military i accept that people are going to call me awful things everyday.

( laughter ) and i will always defend their right to do so. >> reporter: mr. obama went into great detail about everything the u.s. had done to promote democratic revolutions in the very countries where protests had erupted outside u.s. embassies and, scott, he said it's the obligation of leaders there to do everything they can to speak out in favor of tolerance. >> pelley: thank you, nancy. mr. obama also weighed in today on an issue that a lot of folks were arguing about: that bad call that cost the green bay packers the game in seattle last night. the president called it "terrible." the call was made by replacement referees. the n.f.l. has locked out the real officials in a dispute over pay and pensions and here's jeff glor. >> the game's final play-- >> reporter: in 664 games over 42 years, "monday night football" had never ended with a touchdown on the final play and the clock at zero.

if you ask former n.f.l. referee jim daapolus, it still hasn't. >> there was indisputable visual evidence which is what they look for in reversing calls on the field. >> reporter: that evidence? seattle sea hawk's wide receiver golden tate not only pushed one green bay player out of the way- - that's interference-- he also didn't catch the ball. replacement officials ruled he did. that meant a touchdown and a win for seattle, a loss for the packers. packers quarter-back aaron rogers after the game. >> just look at the replay. and then the fact that it was reviewed. it was awful. that's all i'm going to say about it. >> reporter: today the n.f.l., in a statement many found confusing, largely backed the referees saying the result of the game is final. but the call kept weeks of controversy surrounding the replacements. on sunday, one official inadvertently tripped a player with his hat. one ref was tricked by a coach into allowing an extra

challenge. and one was grabbed by a coach who demanded an explanation of a call. >> we're going to have missed calls. however you've got to have somebody able to get out there and address the situation and know how to address specifics that go on and that only comes with experience and with mentoring. >> reporter: the league and its regular referees remain locked in a bitter labor dispute, most significantly over pension plans. as many of the replacements have little experience. the official who made the controversial call last night had only reffed high school and junior college games. while players and fans clamor for the replacement referee situation to end it won't. not until the two groups that matter here-- the regular referees and the league-- come together. jeff glor, cbs news, new york. >> pelley: can republicans win control of the senate? we'll look at a race that may make the difference. the hubble telescope reveals the longest look back in time ever recorded. and a foam phenomenon in scotland.

that's not snow. when the "cbs evening news" continues. continues. the pitch! whoa! so why are you doing his? only your doctor can determine if your persistent heartburn is actually something more serious like acid reflux disease. over time, stomach acid can damage the lining of your esophagus. for many, prescription nexium not only provides 24-hour heartburn relief, but can also help heal acid-related erosions in the lining of your esophagus. talk to your doctor about the risk for osteoporosis-related bone fractures and low magnesium levels with long-term use of nexium.

>> pelley: republicans are fighting an uphill battle for control of the senate. have a look. democrats and two inspects who inspects who caucus with them outnumber republicans 53-47. republicans expected to pick up a seat in missouri because democratic incumbent claire mccaskill was in trouble there. but then her g.o.p. challenger

todd akin was denounced by his own party for things that he said about rape. today was the deadline for akin to drop out and clear the way for another republican candidate-- and he didn't. chip reid is there. >> reporter: congressman akin said he owes it to his supporters to stay in the race. >> i don't believe that that is really my decision. the decision was made by the voters of the state of missouri. ( cheers and applause ) >> reporter: it's an announcement establishment republicans have been dreading ever since akin-- who opposes abortion even in the case of rape-- said women rarely become pregnant from rape. >> if it's a legitimate rape the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. >> reporter: many leading republicans-- including mitt romney-- called on akin to get out of the race fearing his remarks would send women fleeing from the republican party. top republican fund-raiser karl rove withdrew his promise to shower super pac money on akin's campaign and he told a group of

republican contributors-- in what he thought was a secret meeting-- we should sink todd akin. if he's found mysteriously murdered, don't look for my whereabouts. rove apologized and akin now says the attacks from leaders of his own party are firing up his conservative supporters. >> i believe it's backfiring and my sense is that there is a tremendous grass roots movement in this state to say we're tired of all these people in authority trying to impose more washington down our throats. >> reporter: all the turmoil has been a blessing for akin's opponent, democratic senator claire mccaskill, a supporter of health care reform, she was given little chance of winning reelection in this increasingly conservative state. but the polls now show her with a small lead which she attributes in part to akin's comment on abortion. >> but i think what has happened in this race has reenergizeed a lot of our supporters and so our volunteers are up, our low-level donations are up. >> reporter: the missouri senate

seat was supposed to be an easy pickup for the republicans, scott, but now if they lose many republicans here in missouri say the party leaders back in washington will have no one to blame but themselves. >> pelley: chip, thank you. nasa today showed us what the universe looked like near the beginning of time. we'll have the picture in a moment. there's big news. presenting androgel 1.62%. both are used to treat men with low testosterone. androgel 1.62% is from the makers of the number one prescribed testosterone replacement therapy. it raises your testosterone levels, and... is concentrated, so you could use less gel.

>> pelley: in madrid, a protest turned into a battle today. thousands tried to march on the

spanish parliament to protest cuts in government programs. riot police fired rubber bullets. 28 people were hurt. nearly two dozen arrested. a powerful storm off of scotland has buried the waterfront in the city of aberdeen in foam. people woke up sunday to find cars, streets, even homes covered by nearly a foot of sea foam. the layer of lather was churned up by the sea then blown ashore by the wind. some scotts said they thought it had snowed. and from the sea to a new view of deep space. it is the farthest ever view of our universe. astronomers say it shows thousands of galaxies-- some spanning back over 13 billion years of cosmic history. nasa released the picture today. in more recent history, they were poster children for a movement that would change america's workplaces. what became of them? next.

and every day since, we've worked hard to keep it. bp has paid over twenty-three billion dollars to help people and businesses who were affected, and to cover cleanup costs. today, the beaches and gulf are open for everyone to enjoy -- and many areas are reporting their best tourism seasons in years. we've shared what we've learned with governments and across the industry so we can all produce energy more safely. i want you to know, there's another commitment bp takes just as seriously: our commitment to america. bp supports nearly two-hundred-fifty thousand jobs in communities across the country. we hired three thousand people just last year. bp invests more in america than in any other country. in fact, over the last five years, no other energy company has invested more in the us than bp. we're working to fuel america for generations to come. today, our commitment to the gulf, and to america,

has never been stronger. but i'm still stubbed up. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil doesn't unstuff your nose. what? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus liquid gels speeds relief to your worst cold symptoms plus has a decongestant for your stuffy nose. thanks.

that's the cold truth! wthe future of our medicare andr electiosocial security. for... thanks. man 1: i want facts. straight talk. tell me your plan... and what it means for me. woman 2: i'm tired of the negative ads and political spin. that won't help me decide. man 2: i earned my medicare and social security. and i deserve some answers. anncr: where do the candidates stand on issues that... affect seniors today and in the future? find out with the aarp voters' guide at earnedasay.org >> the photographer who took these famous pictures of ironworkers on the empire state building also took thousands of

photographs of children at work in mines and mills. photographs that led to changes in child labor laws. now century later seth doane tells us that the pictures have caught the eye of a man who set out to finish the story that the images began. >> these photographs of child laborers at the turn of the 20th-century. they were meant to shock and spur action. they were commissioned by a private advocacy organization called the national child labor committee. there were taken by lewis hine, between 1908 and 1924. >> he exposed the world in many ways with these photographs, a world that people did not know existed. >> and it would have gone looking for it. >> he is a retired social worker from florence massachusetts. a friend first showed in these photographs on a library of congress website. he was fascinated by the faces frozen in time.

>> we have this wonderful album of basically unfinished stories. unfinished because you never go back and wonder what happened to that kid. >> for the past seven years with only names and locations as clues, he has tried to fill in the blanks. since his records and obituaries led him to mill towns including this one in massachusetts. he took 40 photographs here in 1911, one of them was of this 13 year-old textile worker. >> who was she? how could not ask the question? >> he found her surviving family for death notices in the local newspaper. >> did you have any idea that pictures of her existed? shall not at all. >> her granddaughters remembered plane near the old mill as kids but never knew their grandmother worked inside. >> she was part of that era that i remember learning about in

high-school. my grandmother was child labor along with 12 of her siblings. >> it turns out that she got married 10 years after the photographers visit. had three children and love to cook big meals and live to be 79. >> appeasing these bits of history together really change anything? >> it changes have live look back and change is why think about the past. >> so far he has helped 300 people rediscover their past. >> all these people did not end up in the history books on trying to put them in at least my history book, they deserve it. >> giving a full picture to a snapshot of american history. >> and that is the cbs evening news for tonight. for all of us at cbs news, all around the world, good night. >>

>> good evening i am alan martin >> kim dana king, a new poll suggests what could be a major shift among californians when it comes to the death penalty. >> voters will have the final say on proposition 34 but a new field poll shows a statistical tie. 45 percent want to keep capital punishment and 42 percent want to ban it. that is within the margin of error. and with 12 percent still undecided. almost 13%. those numbers are surprising because polls have shown strong support for capital punishment. those fighting proposition 34 are finding an unlikely ally. joe vasquez is here with a strange politics of some death row inmates .. >> as bizarre as that seems, an attorney that represents death row inmates tells me it is true, it would rather face a lethal injection then support that new law because they are worried it could take away a chance to prove their innocence. >> t